Lesnar shows superstar potential in loss

LAS VEGAS – If you knew ahead of time that former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir would submit former pro wrestling superstar Brock Lesnar in 90 seconds, you’d think Lesnar was a one-time gimmick and would never be heard from again.

But after one of the most exciting 90-second fights in UFC history, most of the talk after the match was about Lesnar’s potential to be one of the most dominant heavyweights in mixed martial arts history.

Lesnar exploded out of the blocks, with two takedowns, powerful punches on the ground and even a knockdown standing as he dominated all but the closing seconds of the match. But in the end, experience won out as Lesnar powered out of an armbar, but left his leg exposed. Mir, expecting Lesnar’s response, snatched the leg, securing a kneebar and forcing the former NCAA champion to tap out.

“I expected him to be strong, but I didn’t expect him to be as fast as he was,” said Mir. “One second he was on my right, then he was on my left. That second armbar I tried works 99 percent of the time in practice except against the most experienced guys.”

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I completely agree that Lesnar had a good showing. I didn't realize untill last night that he is only 30 years old. He might be champ in 2 or 3 years, I think as he gains experience, he'll start blowing through guys.

once lesnar gets 2-3 more fights and another good year-year and half of good sub defense in he will be a beast to deal with.the only question i think is his face.can he take a big punch? probably.how will his face hold up to elbows.

He's got a monster jaw/chin, just wondering if it's deceiving or not. Most guys with a stout jaw like that (i.e. Hendo) have great chins.

I will admit that going into last night I was one of the people who thought that Brock was all hype. I knew that he was freakishly strong and a good athlete but I was amazed at what he could do. He dominated that fight and just got caught, it can happen to anyone. Give him two or three good fights to get some experience and he will be an animal. I will not be surprised if he is the heavyweight champion in a year or two. He really impressed me, all he needs is some training in some bjj and it will be very hard to stop him!!!

IMO Brock Lesnar would massacre any heavyweight in the UFC that dosen't have the Jiu Jitsu knowledge of a Nog or a Mir. You get him in there with anyone else besides those two and he MURDERS them.

That guy has all the tools to become a beast. He made a rookie mistake against a guy you absolutely cannot make a mistake with.

And for a guy who ran his mouth and hyped his fight so much he was very gracious in defeat and you could see the crowd's reaction to him changed instantly. This guy is for real and I can't wait to see him in the octagon again.

The above response is not true at all.

I agree ju-jitsu guys can beat him but he wouldn't MURDER all non ju-jitsu guys. I guarentee that if he came out the way he did against Mir on a guy like Arlovski, he would get crushed with a right hand that would drop him for good.

Arlovski, Sylvia, Gonzaga, Kongo, Werdum, Mir, Nog, could and would beat Lesnar in his current state.

I agree that with a year of experience he will be a handful for anyone.

IMO Lesnar needs to lose a little weight. His striking looks terrible, it's to slow and telegraphed and I think good BJJ guys and good strikers would beat him. I do think he would kill a guy like Kongo with no ground game, bad take down defense and slow striking.

Yea kongo is possibly the best match-up Lesnar could go against that is considered a contender.

i agree with people saying Nog and mir are his biggest challenges in the division, other than that i think he needs to get in there with a few strikers, to gain some experience, meanwhile work on his JJ, than i see no one stopping him, except Nog, i think he could beat Mir in a remtach, but i dont know about Nog, i just keep think bob sapp vs nog, but nog getting a triangle (ala coleman).......but give him a few more fights, i dont think he should loose weight, he is strong and fast as he is, add a bit of boxing to his arsenal and the guy is a wrecking machine....when i think of lesnar, i think of Mark kerr back in the day, i just hope lesnar realizes his potential, and strives to become a better fighter... ..

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Posted by Murd3rfac3

IMO Brock Lesnar would massacre any heavyweight in the UFC that dosen't have the Jiu Jitsu knowledge of a Nog or a Mir. You get him in there with anyone else besides those two and he MURDERS them.

That guy has all the tools to become a beast. He made a rookie mistake against a guy you absolutely cannot make a mistake with.

And for a guy who ran his mouth and hyped his fight so much he was very gracious in defeat and you could see the crowd's reaction to him changed instantly. This guy is for real and I can't wait to see him in the octagon again.

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Are you kidding?!
Pretty much any top 15 HW would beat him!
Give him a few more fights and a good training camp he could defiantly be one of the top 10 HW's but right now he need to stop being so frantic and learn some sub defense.

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Are you kidding?!
Pretty much any top 15 HW would beat him!
Give him a few more fights and a good training camp he could defiantly be one of the top 10 HW's but right now he need to stop being so frantic and learn some sub defense.

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i think you are way, way,way off in the assessment. anyone without serious BJJ is going to be in for a world of trouble against this guy. as quick as he took mir down it was clear to me that he will be able to take down pretty much anyone whenever he wants. so basically if you cannot submit him from your back or knock him out on the way in you are in for a very tough night. he looked incredibly quick and mir even commented on him being much much faster than he expected. how is that you see all of these guys who dont have great bjj beating him? i guess you are thinking they are gonna knock him out when he shoots but that seems unlikely to me considering how great his shot looked. only time will tell but to me it was clear that he is a threat to anyone in the division and will really be tough to beat for those without bjj.

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Posted by SmileR

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Posted by Murd3rfac3

IMO Brock Lesnar would massacre any heavyweight in the UFC that dosen't have the Jiu Jitsu knowledge of a Nog or a Mir. You get him in there with anyone else besides those two and he MURDERS them.

That guy has all the tools to become a beast. He made a rookie mistake against a guy you absolutely cannot make a mistake with.

And for a guy who ran his mouth and hyped his fight so much he was very gracious in defeat and you could see the crowd's reaction to him changed instantly. This guy is for real and I can't wait to see him in the octagon again.

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Are you kidding?!
Pretty much any top 15 HW would beat him!
Give him a few more fights and a good training camp he could defiantly be one of the top 10 HW's but right now he need to stop being so frantic and learn some sub defense.

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you think too little of lesnar. anyone in top 15 would destroy him?? he would kill brandon vera who wouldve been fighting nog if he beat tim. aa is too afraid to lose and do anything anymore. kongo and hh dont see how he would guarenteed to lose to them. i think he has legit shot to beat anyone except nog. not saying he will but that man is a beast and will continue to get better.

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Posted by jomatty

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i think you are way, way,way off in the assessment. anyone without serious BJJ is going to be in for a world of trouble against this guy. as quick as he took mir down it was clear to me that he will be able to take down pretty much anyone whenever he wants. so basically if you cannot submit him from your back or knock him out on the way in you are in for a very tough night. he looked incredibly quick and mir even commented on him being much much faster than he expected. how is that you see all of these guys who dont have great bjj beating him? i guess you are thinking they are gonna knock him out when he shoots but that seems unlikely to me considering how great his shot looked. only time will tell but to me it was clear that he is a threat to anyone in the division and will really be tough to beat for those without bjj.

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Mir wasn't really looking to stand with him though so why should he try to!?

I think if he was to fight any top 15 HW in the next few months/this year he would get smashed!
If you look at the rankings on almost all mma sites their isn't one HW i can see that wouldn't pick him apart on the feet or be able to close guard on him and hold until it got stood up again.

If you were to put him in against Sylvia, Arlovski, Couture, Kongo or Cro Cop he wouldn't last a round and they aren't known for their BJJ.
The majority of the others have excellent BJJ or at least a good knowledge of it so i'll leave them out for now.

That being said i could see him beating Vera but i'd put that down to the size of Brock as he cuts to make HW were as Vera could easily fight at LHW and still wouldn't be one of the biggest.


I'm not saying Brocks without promise in the future, but right now he isn't a competitor in the UFC. As I'v said in other threads give him time and a good training camp and he could come on quickly as he is obviously a very athletic person.

I was also very impressed with how he handled himself in the post fight interview. He was nothing like I imagined him to be. He came across humble and like he was looking forward to fighting again, rather than down playing his loss to his inexperience and taking the limelight off Mir like I thought he would.
I'm really not trying to rubbish him on here as I was seriously impressed by him and his speed but he wouldn't be able to handle the majority of top 15 HW's...yet

the dude just needs to worry bout leg and ankle locks, his neck well he dosent have one so cant really choke him. armbars arent happen mir said him self that 99 % of the arm bars he did on him usually works expected for exp BJJ guys because he is to big and strong, (very few ppl r as good as mir off their back so lesnar wont have to worry bout) his size and speed will be to much to handle once he gets better BJJ for anyone. he has way to much potential

Wow, Lesnar suprised me. To transition so quickly to MMA, he did a pretty good job. He needs alot of work, but a good debut nonetheless. I think he can take some strikers out with his wrestling and GNP. He was hurting Mir. When I saw his legs, I knew that was a weak point for him. They looked like toothpicks. He needs to work out his legs and get them stronger. Its not all about upper body workouts, Lesnar :P

Anyways, get Lesnar in a good camp and I see him being a serious danger to alot of fighters. I think right now, he could dominate Kongo easily, and some other lower class standup guys. He had no problem getting the takedown, and I think he wont have a problem with the GNP route for now. Just watch your neck Lesnar and work on that striking

I think for his next fight I would like to see Lesnar against a good striker. Someone who will test his chin. Someone with at least decent takedown defense and good punches and kicks. Maybe a guy like Cro Cop? I am not saying I think Lesnar would beat Cro Cop. I think that would be another very good test for him. If the UFC is trying to have him fight top guys (with his salary he has to) and have him get some experience, a top striker seems like the next step.

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Posted by BigTomZ

I think for his next fight I would like to see Lesnar against a good striker. Someone who will test his chin. Someone with at least decent takedown defense and good punches and kicks. Maybe a guy like Cro Cop? I am not saying I think Lesnar would beat Cro Cop. I think that would be another very good test for him. If the UFC is trying to have him fight top guys (with his salary he has to) and have him get some experience, a top striker seems like the next step.

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Yeah CC vs lesnar would be good. I wonder if cro cop would pull a bob sapp on him

Wouldnt call it "Superstar" material. Seemed over excited and waaaaay to anxious to finish the fight soon as it started. Lesnar showed that he could someday be a good fighter, not right now though. The loss definitely set him back on earth and if he does start to train with a good team, yes he might be a "Superstar". But for now, I'm betting his next fight will be against a washed up fighter or some no name.

Like pretty much all of the above replies, I was very impressed with Brock's potential.

I know it's speculation, but with the fury he came out of his corner with & the blows he landed on Mir...I've got to say, a less experienced guy would have been done. Mir has years of exp & knows how to fight off his back, which is literally the only thing that saved him. Almost anyone else who got dropped & GNPed like Mir was getting would have lost heart & soon after; the fight.

There are not a whole lot of guys who could remain calm in the face of that freaking bull rushing out of the gates across the mat at you. I personally think the UFC did a VERY good job of matching Mir & Lesnar up in this match. Few other than Mir would have had the inate skill set to win this, IMO.

I look forward to Brock's next match (& I too thought the guy was all Pomp & Circumstance coming into this, but I cant wait to see what several more months of training will do)

FINALLY getting some more interesting fighters in the HW div.

T777

P.S. If there were a way to transplant Randy's brain/skillz into Brocks body...he could possibly take over Western Civilization. *laugh*

Brock versus Tim-may might be nice. I'm not sure if anyone really wants to see Timbo fight for the belt again. I say put his striking out there to test lesnar and see if Brock can hold his own. Tim should be able to keep him at bay with his reach but then again, Lesnar is a damned brahmabull andmight be able to rush through the punches.

In my opinion Lesnar would run through Sylvia withou a doubt tims hands have done nothing lately when was the last time he knocked anyone out all he is is big lesnar would have an easy time taking him down and messing up his face, arlvoski would be a good fight becuase he is a great striker and he has solid jiu-jitsu but could he deal with lesnars strength, cro cop and kongo imo lesnar would beat them as well lesnar would do the same thing to crop cop as gonzoga did without the whole head kick thing he would take him down and pound him same with kongo he only really has to worry about guys with great submissions and guys with great standup if he has a weak chin but nobody knows that , i agree he has to work on his striking and his submissions but the guy is a beast and i think in a few years once he has some qaulity wins under his belt he will be UFC HW Champ.

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Posted by atlas777

In my opinion Lesnar would run through Sylvia withou a doubt tims hands have done nothing lately when was the last time he knocked anyone out all he is is big lesnar would have an easy time taking him down and messing up his face, arlvoski would be a good fight becuase he is a great striker and he has solid jiu-jitsu but could he deal with lesnars strength, cro cop and kongo imo lesnar would beat them as well lesnar would do the same thing to crop cop as gonzoga did without the whole head kick thing he would take him down and pound him same with kongo he only really has to worry about guys with great submissions and guys with great standup if he has a weak chin but nobody knows that , i agree he has to work on his striking and his submissions but the guy is a beast and i think in a few years once he has some qaulity wins under his belt he will be UFC HW Champ.

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tims hands looked good to me in the fight with big nog...sure he lost but he lost to one of the best hw's ever and he dominated the fight until big nog got his opportunity and did his thing. i think sylvia has the best chance of anyone without great bjj to beat brock. other stand up fighter i think will really be in a world of hurt. guys like kongo and dare i say CC will have a hard time staying on their feet and will be unable to submit him from his back. he is so strong that anyone without really great bjj will have a very tough time subbing him. you heard mir talk about how that armbar works 99% of the time and it didnt even look that close.

im not brock lesnar fan but i just dont see how he is not a major threat to anyone in the division, especially those without a top notch bjj pedigree. the guy is walking in to the ring at close to 290 pounds probably and was very explosive, quick and powerful. i just dont see any stand up guy being able to keep him from getting the takedown and he seems to transition well on the ground as well. i cant remember seeing anyone who is as big and strong as him who is also as quick as he was. he is not really the kind of fighter i enjoy watching but i dont see how so many people seem to think he is an easy fight for so many guys.

If they fought again, I'd still pick Lesnar.

I agree with everyone that thinks that Lesnar has great potential in his loss to Mir, but also think that you should not throw the guy to the wolves of the HWD. He has only two fights, most of the guys you all want to see him fight have ten times as many fights as him and would find a way to expose Lesnar's inexperience in the ring to get a win. All these fighters you mentioned CC, AA, Congo, Tim and Vera are seasoned fighters, with wins against all types of strikers and wrestlers. These heavys would either test Lesnar's chin or have them take him down pull guard grab a limb and sub him.

If White wants Lesnar to become a new style of HWC then he must bring Lesnar up slowly with opponents that he has a chance to beat and helps him get better as a fighter. So many times in the UFC you see these new fighters come in with all the potential in the world great wrestling skills but no submission game of striking game, and against a quality opponent get destroyed. If Lesnar losses against these guys his drive for becoming a UFC superstar will be deflated before it began.